Trust Freddy
Youth Interactive writer
In a practical demonstration of the Heritage-based Education 5.0 philosophy, learners from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Form 6 at Hillbright Science College are running commercial agro-industrial projects, operating mini-honey processing plants across all six group campuses and nurseries targeting 40 000 Hass avocado trees.
The group has equipped each of its six schools with small processing plants, supported by more than 1 000 beehives at prime apiculture sites such as Arcturus Farm and Vumba in the Eastern Highlands.
Learners across all grades take turns visiting the bee farms to learn hive management, harvesting and processing, with the enterprise yielding over eight tonnes of high-grade honey annually.
Alongside beekeeping, the institution has set nursery targets across its campuses to instil environmental awareness, practical horticulture skills and income generation.
Under the horticultural programme, Eastlea Campus has established 3 000 avocado seedlings towards its 10 000 campus target, while Vumba Campus is targeted to produce 20 000 plants, with the balance distributed to sister campuses including Marimba Park Junior School.
The practical orientation has inspired learners to establish personal commercial beehives at home.
Charlene Mashingaidze, a Form 3 learner at the college, said beekeeping was accessible and high-yielding.
“To keep hives, all you need is patience and effort.
“It is a low-input, high-output venture that you can do on your own at home,” she said.
Form 1 learner Mukundi Kureya said he had already established his own hive after training at the school.
“It is a very simple process and very profitable. I have already set up my own hive at home, from which I will be making money,” he said.
Hillbright Science College Eastlea Campus Principal, Mr Lloyd Maroweko, said the initiative equips learners with real enterprise skills.
“We have various skills that we are imparting to our learners in fulfilment of Education 5.0,” Mr Maroweko said.
“We collect seeds from Mbare, plant them with our students and graft them with the Hass avocado variety sold in commercial outlets.
“If the students produce about 500 Hass avocado trees and sell them at US$5 each, they earn about US$2 500. Beyond agriculture, we also run an electronics programme where students locally manufacture products such as lighting torches and gas leak detectors.”
Hillbright Science College Chief Servant, Mr Pardon Mugari, said the college produces specialised monofloral honeys — including bee-bush, buckwheat, eucalyptus and apple honey — through a pollination agreement at Claremont Estate in Nyanga, with learners taught commercial processing from ECD level.
“We produce tonnes of honey and have entered into exclusive agreements where pollination is done by our bees,” Mr Mugari said. “We encourage all learners to understand the commercial value of these natural resources.”
The group plans to scale its nursery and apiculture operations across all campuses in line with Government’s vision to transform schools into centres of innovation and industrialisation.
